1. Field
The present application relates generally to the operation of communication systems, and more particularly, to methods and apparatus for service continuity in a communication network.
2. Background
Wireless cellular telecommunication networks are now commonly known and in widespread use. In this regard, the area covered by a telecommunication network is divided into cells and each cell is provided with at least one base station. The base stations are configured to communicate with mobile stations (MS) or other user equipment (UE) located in their respective cells.
Various standards have been proposed for communication within telecommunication networks. For example, one known standard is the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard. This standard is primarily designed for speech communications. Another standard is the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) standard that addresses the transmission of data. The GPRS standard has generally been proposed in the context of the GSM standard. The GSM standard allows circuit switched communication while the GPRS standard allows packet switched communication. Other standards include wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) systems that are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems (UMTS) in addition to long term evolution (LTE) systems.
Mobile stations operating in a cell establish traffic channels within the cell with which to receive broadcasts or multicasts of television programs, streaming video, streaming audio, and other multimedia content. Such services are commonly referred to as multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS). A MBMS might be transmitted throughout a single cell or throughout several contiguous or overlapping cells. A set of cells receiving a MBMS can be referred to as a service area.
When a mobile station moves, it may move from a location in a first coverage area to a location in a second coverage area. If the mobile station was receiving a MBMS on a traffic channel prior to moving, there may be an interruption in service reception due to the time taken to acquire control information and establish new traffic channels on the new coverage area. This process is known as reselection. Based on current technology, the disruption may be as long as a few tens of seconds. This service disruption may result in loss of audio or video, jumps, static or other annoying effects that will directly affect the device user's experience.
Therefore, what is needed is a mechanism that operates to overcome the problems associated with conventional systems to provide efficient use of air resources and minimize interruptions for the end user when a mobile station performs reselection in a communication network.